Five reasons why we love the Great Khali ad

Have you watched the "Giant strength for the Giant" ad that gives you an (imagined, but plausible) scenario, in which the Great Khali, or the seven-foot-one-inch-tall and 63"-inch chest sporting champion wrestler Dalip Singh Rana, casually describes how he used to bash into walls while making an innocent dance move, or fall through ceilings by just lifting a leg?

Chances are that you have watched the Ambuja Cement ad, created by Publicis Worldwide South Asia, which is taking the advertisement world and social media by storm, trending on Twitter, getting shared on Facebook. No one can stop raving about how vulnerable and endearing Khali looks falling through rooftops and letting cement (now duly powdered by that singular collision with his unwitting head, hand, legs, butt) land on his mother who was busy cooking, possibly for her gargantuan son. 

"OMG, he's such a big and cute bumbling man" quotient apart, here are five reasons why we absolutely adore the ad and raise a toast for its innovative (even if "inspired") take on "giant strength".

Great strength is great mess, at times

Khali's bumbling around and just being himself is shown to create sweet but unavoidable hurdles for not just the wrestler himself but also others. He's a walking talking catastrophe in his daily life, and it's exactly the source of his great fame - his great frame and strength - that's the reason why ordinary life is such an ordeal. The ad brilliantly captures a "what if" scenario and makes us laugh along, not at, the Big Man.

Wrestlers are ordinary people

Also known as the Punjabi Nightmare, the Punjabi Titan, the Punjabi Playboy, the Prince of the Land of Five Rivers, among others in the wrestling ring, the 43-year-old Khali lives a normal life with wife Harminder Kaur and parents. This "ordinariness", however, must bear with a grin the weight of his huge body. The ad gently uncovers the lived-in reality of a famous full contact body sport star, which a stint at the Bigg Boss could never do. The ad does not make him an object of curiosity, of hidden ridicule, or museumise his bigness, but makes it a measure of "useful strength".   

Real strength cares for all

Ambuja Cement makes a compelling case for withstanding massive force by showing even Khali finding it strong enough to resist him effectively. Not only is Khali playfully walking around, dancing softly, he even hurts his head a bit when it butts into the wall. Khali is at peace on the house terrace - now it wouldn't just collapse and spoil his mother's curry. Real strength is shown to care for everyone, not just the strong and powerful but also the weak and powerless.

Makes boring entertaining

Publicis has managed to make a cement ad - traditionally boring and relying on formulaic celebrity endorsements, such as that from Amitabh Bachchan - actually an enjoyable watch. The simple but effective message is communicated with great panache as Khali is shown to navigate through his life leaving a trail of unintended destruction in his wake. He is a dinosaur until the new cement lets him be a happy, self-sufficient man again, with no need to be rescued by minions whom he could brush off like a bee.   

Inspired, but innovative

Okay, the Khali ad does look highly "inspired" by this iconic Epuron commercial called "Mr W", which shows the wind energy as a mischievous entity - Mr Wind - unsure of itself and ending up lifting women's skirts in open market, blowing away a man's hat, or messing with your newspaper reading session in the park. Until he stumbles on to the windmill which harnesses his energy - wind energy - and makes him feel wanted and "useful" again.

It's a great comment on the social misfits and how as a society, we must let them express themselves, because most of the misfits are basically undiscovered geniuses waiting it over. Especially in these times when conformity and unquestioned obediance to the "manly, 56-inch-chest regime" are exactly what will get you by, carry you through a sea of prejudices against everyone who's remotely different.   

The hypermale as the misfit; the wrestler, whose "flapjack" had left a fellow fighter dead, as the gentle giant: Ambuja Cement has picked its brand ambassador with care and a lot of intelligence! The Indian ad world just relived its Happy Dent moment again. Well done!